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Alexandria City Council to Hold Public Hearing on HOT Lanes Project on Saturday, October 17

On Saturday, October 17, Alexandria City Council will receive public comment on the proposed Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) HOT lanes project at its public hearing, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in City Council Chambers, 2nd floor, Alexandria City Hall, 301 King St.

The HOT Lanes project, as envisioned by VDOT if approved, would expand the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-95/395 from two to three lanes and extend two new lanes south to Massaponax. All of these lanes will become High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes—meaning buses and carpools with three or more people can continue to use the lanes for free, while non-HOV motorists can choose to pay a toll to access the lanes. Toll prices would change throughout the day according to real-time traffic conditions to manage the number of cars in the HOT lanes and keep them congestion free. You can view details of the proposed project at http://www.virginiahotlanes.com/i95-project-info.asp

Alexandria City Council members have expressed concern to VDOT and withheld the City’s support for the design of the proposed HOT Lanes project. The current VDOT proposal would allow more vehicles to enter and exit the HOT lanes near the Shirlington/Quaker Lane interchange, which would likely create traffic congestion on local streets. The City of Alexandria has also directly expressed concern to VDOT about impacts on emergency response, traffic operational issues and the lack of an appropriate environmental review process.

Persons who wish to speak should call the City Clerk/Clerk of Council at 703.746.4550, pick up a form at the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, Room 2300, or fill out a form online by Friday, October 16, at 5 p.m. Residents may also fill out a speaker’s form and submit it to the City Clerk at the public hearing.